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I know that many scams
are out there and everyone needs to be very careful! Just never send money. But.........I
met and married a beautiful Russian lady that is more than I could have ever dreamed of. I
went to Vladivostok last October after emailing and talking on the telephone for several
months. She came here on 12/23/01 and we were married on 2/27/02. She
is intelligent, hard working, sexy, gorgeous and we are very happy
together.

Firstly I want to say thank you to Antonio from the Phillipines about his
experience with Julia 247 from the North/North West Club. After reading
his article it got me thinking. As you can see from the letter below Anastasia and Julia come from the same city in Russia. The email address
is similar in construction to each other.

Most damaging is the comparison between the letters !! If you look at
Anastasia's letter you will note the following phrases are exactly the same:

My name is Anastaysia

Kind man for friendship and marriage

I think it's time to start telling my story about myself. (exact same sentence)

My height is 170cm , weight 52kg (Julia is 160 and 52)

I speak English well and German a little (same as Julia)

I shall finish university and receive higher education this year -
children psychologist and defectolog. I prepare the protection of the diploma
( working and - exactly the same as Julia except job has been changed).

I dream to meet awith a serious man,
reliable,faithful,understandable,tender, who can see a wonderful creature, a friend in a woman (Exactly the same sentence in every
detail)

Sometime I shall call and to ask: whether there are letters for me.
Hope to hear from you soon (Exactly the same in both letter).

As you can see there are too many similarities in both letters. There are
a lot of sentences that are exactly the same in wording and grammar !! Although the photo is different !

At this

Regards

Darren R

Letter

Dear Darren

I am happy to have an opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Anastasia
(Nastya). I am 24 y.o. I'm from North-West Russia - Arkhangelsk city. I dream of a meeting with decent and kind foreign
man for friendship and marriage may be.

I think it's time to start telling the story about myself. I have long
hair and blue eyes. I'm single, without children. My height is 170 cm, weight is 52 kg. I speak English well and German a little. I shall
finish University and receive higher education this year - children psychologist and defectolog. I prepare the protection of the diploma.
I love my profession very much, and I dreem to bring help to the people.

I like to dance very much and I dance very well. When I studied at
school I went to the dance school. Also I like to cook. I like to cook for close people.. My friends describe me as an intelligent and
ambitious person, kind and considerate and very sensitive. I am an an optimist and a bit of a dreamer and idealist. Sentimental at times,
and usually spontaneous. I also care deeply about spiritual things in life. I am somewhat adventurous and like to try new things. I enjoy
people.

There is so much to know about each other as well as the fact that we come from such different parts of the world. I like my city and my
country, all my friends live here and I enjoy by dialogue with them. In my native city we have white night in the summer - now it is very
beautifully. At the night also lightly as well as day, only sun does not
shine. However in winter we have very short day. I very much love summer, sun and easy clothes. I love to float in warm water. Except
for training I give a lot of time to sports employment. I love swimming and aerobic and I think, that it will occupy the important
place in my life always. I'm go in for scuba diving during 6 years. Now I'm swimming only for pleasure and maintenance of the form,
and some years back I was swimming for achievement of sports results, that is it was the daily struggle with minutes, seconds and
with itself. And this sports have learned me discipline and persistence, but I am romantic and pensive and the strong man's
shoulder I dream to meet with a serious man, reliable, faithful, understandable, tender, who can see a wonderful creature, a friend
in a woman. A man who I can share my life with in good and bad times and give all my love, tenderness, attention and care. I know
that international marriage is special kind of marriage when the confluence of different cultures and languages is held. It's rather sad
to part with parents and friends. I know that on removing to another country I will have to change many outlooks and life style. I will
close for now. Thank you for reading my letter. I hope you will not leave it without any attention and will answer me. It will be
interesting to me to find out more about your country, your family and your life. Write me letter to address n_brides@list.ru ( for
Anastasia Olenevskaya ). Sometimes I shall call and to ask: whether there are letters for me. Hope to hear from you soon. And please
send me some your photos.

I want to thank-you for the valuable service that you are providing. I
unfortunately was not able to take advantage of your listing as the two
persons I wrote to were not yet appearing on any blacklist so I took a
chance and was scammed. This was for a small amount of money- but I am enclosing this
information in the hope that some innocent and sincere person doesn't get
taken for a substantial amount by these criminals. The incident involves 2 individuals
from two separate agencies, whose profiles were both listed on Absolute
Agency.

I had written to Illona first, beginning in February, and received some
nice letters, but after the fifth letter, the "agency" informed me that
I needed to open an account to continue correspondence. Being a little
wary, I did two things, looking for her name and Diana agency on the numerous anti-scam sites, but
both came up clean with no listings. I agreed to open an account, on the
condition that the agency send me a scan of her Illona's passport (which after
several weeks did arrive). Seeing no obstacles I then sent 100 dollars by
Western Union to Shuliko Galina to open an account. I continued to receive
letters from Illona, but the frequency became somewhat less than when I began
writing her.

I found another profile from Absolute Agency for Irina Alexsandrovna
Volkova whom I also began writing. I must say her letters were very long
and detailed, not generic or stock responses at all. In fact every question I asked was
answered with great detail and care. Her approach
was unique as well: far from the typical falling in love after 3 letters
script, This person stated from the beginning, that she believed one could could become friends after much writing
and perhaps get a
commitment to meet. But to fall in love on the internet was unrealistic. She wrote 20 letters, and never asked for money, but I did
offer to help her with a modest amount. How then, did I discover then, that both
individuals were in fact scammers? Simple. On April 4 Irina sent me a letter-
below is an part of it:

With every letter we get to know each other better and better. I think
when we will see each other we will be like people who knows each other
for ages.I have read your beautiful letter hundred times. I could not even
imagine that people can be so close to each other spiritual and so far in a
distance at the same time. I wish I could fly to you, to feel you near me. I
have seen a dream, that we are together and we walked on the beach , the sea is beautiful and then we went into the water and
swam. The water gently carries us , we float with ecstasy lolling in waves. It was so
beautiful, that I did not want to wake up. But unfortunately I had to . All
my thoughts are about you, I try to imagine what you do now, where you
sit, what is in your hands, I wish I were. With growing affection, Irina.

On May 15 Ilona also sent me a letter- below is an part of it:

With every letter we get to know each other better and better. I think
when we will see each other we will be like people who knows each other
for ages. I have read your beautiful letter hundred times. I could not
even imagine that people can be so close to each other spiritual and so
far in a distance at the same time. I wish I could fly to you, to feel
you near me. I have seen a dream, that we are together and we walked on
the beach , the sea is beautiful and then we went into the water and swam. The water
gently carries us , we float with ecstasy lolling in waves. It was so beautiful, that I did not want to wake up. But
unfortunately I had to . All my thoughts are about you, I try to imagine
what you do now, where you sit, what is in your hands, I wish I were.

Kisses Ilona.

So the chances of two separate individuals, from two different agencies
sending the exact, word for word paragraph to me are about one in a billion. The only
possible explanation is they were both coming from one group (or criminal
group) which created Diana agency and Magnolia agency (and all the profiles
there) for the sole purpose of defrauding innocent people out of money. When
I wrote an e-mail to Irina including both identical paragraphs, she disappeared
and never wrote again. When I wrote the same e-mail to Ilona and Galina
"Ilona" said she "memorized that poem from school," and was sorry it "upset
me." Pretty amusing: The chances of an identicel word-for-word English
translation of a Russian poem by two separate persons are probably one in ten
billion! I stopped contact with her and contacted Galina Shuliko, asking to send
money back via Western Union. After many e-mails reminding her of the penalties for internet fraud, she wrote a quick letter saying she sent
cash by mail to my home address. (which I never gave her!) That's the last contact I had
with her. The Illona profile was quickly removed from the Diana site, but the
others remain there ready to defraud others.

Letters:

Letter 1:

My dearest!
I was waiting for your letter. You are indeed a special, rare and cheerful
man. If you have been living here in Ukraine, you would have a long lone
line of women seeking your attention. I repeat myself but it sure needs to
be repeated, that I am very interested in your personality. I do not know
much about your country. I would like to know as much as you can tell me about yourself. I sincerely like your attitude towards life, family . It is
very good. Your very pretty eyes say a lot of good things about your soul.
I like! I want to find a man to be my partner, with whom I'll share all my
happy & my problems. I want we can understand each other & surrounding. We have to love each other what we are.
It doesn't mean that I hadn't any men, yes, I have, but all my meetings were unhappy. The
problem is that all our men (not everyone,of course)have bad habbits and
mostly drinking. I met many men who liked to drink.I have many girl-friends who are married and the main problem of their marriage is
just the same.That's why I don't want to have my future family with drunker. I even can't understand what good is in that deal. Because of this
our families are broken. And also our men are not serious about their future life, their intentions. I'm sure that in the marriage agency I will
seek my fortune & I'm sure that it's the right step. I use it because I know
some English but I cannot write well. Well, I live with my parents. I am
the only child in the family. I began working as a designer but I haven't
much experience in this field and I help the chief. I like this profession, it
is rather interesting. Every minute I think about our first meeting, about
your close private relations. I feel very positive about our common future.
Hope you so. I will be waiting for your letter.
Write me soon.
Kisses
your Ilona.

Letter 2:

hello!
I was very glad to get your sweet letter and lovely photo. Thanks for you
answer and for you didn't forget me. how are you? How are the things? I
imagine you as an interesting and strong man. But I must say that I don't
care much about man's appearance, I'm interested in his inside world. From my side I want you to know me too. And I will try to tell you some
new facts about me in this letter. I am very creative person, who loves to
laugh, I am caring, sensitive,thoughtful, kind hearted, open minded, considerate, easy going, generous to others, I am intense in my passion
and very romantic. I am known to be fair and open handed, never raise my voice and I hate to argue. I dislike liars or people who claim to care
someone and do not. My approach on the relationship is through a lot of
conversation and togetherness, the sharing of thoughts and keeping promises. To me it is important to tell someone if you like them right
away instead of waiting and causing more hurt later. Activities I enjoy
are: volleyball, tennis, basketball, riding bicycles, travel and almost
everything interesting. I would like to learn how to ride a horse. Other
interests include visiting museums, art galleries. I like to cook and to
bake. I am usually open to many things and often can be spontaneous to
almost anything. I like to read very much . I like
Austin,Steel,Christi,Wild, O'Henry,.. Music and arts: I enjoy classical, jazz, romantic ballads, and
soft rock. I like Cher, Bon Jovi, Joe Cocker, Robbie Williams, Adams, Sting,
A-HA,Tina Turner, Depesh Mode.. I am most fond of songs that tell a story and have a smooth rhythm. I dream to meet a close man who will
appreciate and respect me. I'm young and I have plenty of friends and
familiars but I feel lonely. I would like to find a person who appreciate
my personality and loved me just the way I am with all my good streaks
and faults. I want him to be generous in his feelings, to tell me everything
about his thoughts, fears and share his joy and sorrow with me. I want
him to know that I`ll support him in every situation. I want to have a cosy
house in which I will live with a man from my dream. it isn't important
where to live with my man, the main to be with him. Now I look at you with hope and want to find what a man you are.

Hello!
Thank you very much for your letter, and after reading your letter I am
sure that you are a true man, but I think that Internet is the best way of
communication, it is a little more expensive then usual mail, but more
reliable. We can wait for months one letter and during this time we can
forget it other and I do not want this happens. You might wonder why I
contact a man from another country, well these days it is so easy and distances are not a problem. Besides life could more so much more
interesting having a partner from another country with different cultures
and background. I understand it is difficult --- I thought so too --- but you
know -- it is better than meeting in person I think. You see ---- If both
people are honest with each other it is very easy to exchange serious subjects and core beliefs through the internet. Here people can say
exactly how they feel about life and relationships without fear of rejection
if the other does not agree. The fundamentals can be freely discussed before any emotion begins to take hold. I think this is good because
people can discover much about the other (if both are honest) much more
quickly than if they were to date. Why do I use the internet? Well, the
internet brings the world to you. It's an incredibly powerful tool.With just
a few clicks you can be talking to someone half a world away. Of course,
the internet has its problems, too. It's difficult to get a feel for what
someone is really like just through email. I am a strong believer in
"chemistry" between a man and woman, and this can only be determined by actually meeting them. I'm using Internet to try to find the right
partner. I expect someone from a different culture will have different
beliefs and a different mindset than mine. To me that is a great strength
in a relationship IF there is enormous trust and respect between the two
people. Then they can listen to each other, learn from each other, and
bring out the bestin each other. So that is the way i think. What do you
think about it? Please, you're wellcome to ask everything you want.
I am looking forward for your answer.
Irina.

We would like to inform you that Irina,
the girl you are corresponding with, is
a user of our translation and computer service.
Agency "Magnolia"

Letter 4:

Hello!

If you read this letter you are also looking for the person to share your
life with. So you are wellcome with your thoughts and questions. I am Irene. I am a last year student of the Donetsk Technical University. My
future occupation is ecology.I love nature and i want to do my best in its
protecting. I live in a very beautiful city,the city of million roses -
Donetsk. I like to spend my spare time with as more use as it is only possible. I adore big,noisy companies as well as i am happy to be in some
romantic place with my man listening to a music and enjoing being together. I think that relations between two people( if they are true and
sincere) are above everything. I am happy when i have an honest, tender
and passionate man by my side and i am ready to do everything possible
to make such a man the happiest in the world. In relations between a man
and a woman i appreciate trust,honest and respect and i hate arrogance
and meanness. I also think that it is important to take people as they are
and not to try to chanche them. I am romantic and tender by my nature. I
can appreciate such things as sunny day, bird's singing and people's smiles. I think all this things make our life better. I like to dream. I
imagine you and me sitting on a beach and enjoying the moon trip and the whisper of waves. Two loving people in a wonderful place - isn't it
splended ?! But unfortunately our life is not only holidays but i am sure
that everything in this life can be conquered through hard work and belief
in yourself. I would like to know more about you and i hope you'll send
me some of your photoes. How do you build your relations with people?
How do you see your perfect woman? I am looking forward for your soon answer.

Irina.

mailto:Irina@pb.com.ua

Conclusion
Due to the lack of bad reports on either agency and their profiles and
the sincerity of the letters, I took a chance, and was defrauded- I do
feel lucky, however. Due to the carelessness of these criminals, I
wasn't led on for too long a time, and didn't lose a significant amount of
money. Whoever writes the Irina letters is a highly intelligent con-artist with
a good grasp of psychology and very dangerous to the average trusting person. Please beware of this person-
the pretense they create is near-perfect and its very easy to be taken.

Hi, I fear I am the result of a scam. Her name was Ekaterina Kiseleva, I have just seen her name on the black list. Without going into too much detail, 27 emails were exchanged between us, before the Visa and ticket thing was brought up. Stupidly I sent her the money not through western union as she wanted but through a money gram, so it must have been her real name as she needed ID to collect it. She was very bad at answering questions which made me suspicious and also wouldn't give me a phone number that I could ring her on. Her address was Apt 5, 3 Lenin street, Tomsk, Russia. Her email is katkinagizn@pochtamt.ru and I have attached photos she sent me. I hope people like this can be caught because there are too many of us suckers out there.

My name is Mark I am a 26 year old single guy from Holland. I have put an
reaction on an advertisement which was called with the name
Mila I began to write more seriously when I got a reaction from her I have that there was some
fraud
practices on the internet but not that it was going to happen with me.
I really liked the way she wrote the letters and after 4 or 5 letters she said that
she will need 50 dollars for
her internet connection without hesitation I paid her 50 dollars by western union and we went
further with our mailing. Then she said that there was an travel agency who has got an offer for 700 dollars for
flying +
visa to Holland, fortunately I did not pay her that money because I did
not want to buy a
visa. Then she got a new offer 500 dollar for a bus ticket +visa to
Holland. In the mean time I proposed her a holiday in the eastern countries of
Europe like Poland, Czech or Slovakia to celebrate our holiday because she did not have to pay for
visa there for a long time she only was out for a visa and not my proposal to celebrate our holiday here.
I got then a little bit suspicious and gave her an ultimatum by email.
Than she got angry and wrote me an angry mail back that I did not trust her.
At that moment I felt sorry for her and because she felt right about a holiday in
Slovakia I was going to pay for her passport which costs 85 dollars she said.
Before I went to sleep I fortunately was searching on the internet with her name
Mila Merkusheva. I found nothing. Then I searched with the name Merkusheva and I found your
blacklist with her name on it.
She used then another address and photo but the first two letters were exactly the same.

I have given her one time an amount of 50 dollars by western union that was
written on
Mila Mekusheva Gitomir. I did write to her for almost two months. The letters I have got from her follow:
This was the first letter:

Thank you for reply, my new dear friend.
Your ad doesn't shows you like a serious person. But I feel that you are serious. I'm almost sure in that.
And you are searching for a partner. I'm also looking for my second half. I didn't write you immediatelly after I've got your reply because the
problem is that I'm from the Ukraine. And you are from the another part
of the world. That is thousands kilometers between us. But I'm sure that
everything is possible in this life. And you never know before you try.
That's why I decided to get a try. If you think that I'm wrong or even not
polite, I'm sorry. Just do not reply to me. I'll understand. But if you believe
in fate, and if you don't affraid of the difficulties and distances, and if you
didn't found your special match yet, of course, - let's try. May be?................

Mila
this was the second letter

Hi, dear Mark, Thank you very much for reply. I was never abroad. I
think our countries, cultures and nationalities are totally difference.
That's why I guess we have double chance for success because plus and
minus are attracted to each other. We have too much topics to tall about...........
Please tell me more about your country and specially about you as you see yourself.
You want to know more about me.......... Well, my name is Mila. I'm 22.
I'm a writer. I'm writing a fantastic stories. And this is not only my hobby.
I'm studying in the Technical University last year and working in the newspaper "Stars".
I'm a private correspondent there. My society life is full enough but I can't say the same
about my private life. I live alone in my own appartments in the centrum
of my beautiful city Gitomir. And I have a wonderfull dog. Her name is
Lota. It's rotveiler. My parents are farmers and they are living in the village
80 km near my city. I have a brother Alexander. He is 31. He is married with a
nice girl Irina and they are living together with parents. I like to visit
them as often as I could . It's so nice to be at the real nature, to feel fresh
air, to sweem in the lake and to walk in the forest. Ukrainian nature is
too wonderful to be described with the words. But to feel it with all body
and spirit it is nessersary to be together with some very close person.
Two persons could feel together much much more than one even very
romantic.... Hope you'll understand me.

Mila

P.S.Please, write me everything about yourself you feel to write about. I
was never abroad, that's why everything is interesting Hope to hear from
you soon, my new friend. mailto:rw111s@ukr.net

and this was the sixth letter which I had
recognized at your blacklist:

Hi, dear Prince, Hope you are O'K. We must decide now something very important and current.
The matter is that I'm not able to pay for the Internet at the moment.
Could you do that for me?An Internet here in the Ukraine is casts 50 US$ a
mounth. Please, send me the money via Western Union Money Transfer. You may get an information about them
at www.westernunion.com I've call them today and they told me that to
send money you have to go to any of their offices. You have to know an
exact name and address (as it written in the passport) of the person you
are sending money to. You know all that data of me. But I'll remaind you.
My address:
Mila Merkusheva
Lenina str. 45, app.67
10080 Gitomir
Ukraine

By chance it would be that guarantee I was waited for. I meen that if you
are not going to pay for my Internet that is you are not serious to me .
In this situation I must be happy that I understood it not too late.
But if you are really serious, please send me in your next e-mail a transmission
number from the Western Union. If you'll do that we will have a fast way
(Internet) to discuss our future. Hope to hear from you. MilaP.S. And I
really hope that one day I'll have a chance to do something for us. mailto:rw111s@ukr.net